Looking for Work By: Gary Soto

I grew up a Puerto Rican in Miami Florida; where there are the prominent white families who have an excess of everything. I can relate to the young Soto in the story when he wishes for that “ perfect TV family” because when I was younger I didn't appreciate the uniqueness of my family, I detested it and wanted it to be like the white families around us. Being Puerto Rican meant having huge family barbecues and celebrations for the smallest achievements. As a young child I thought this so insipid but as I’ve grown older I’ve come to realize that it wasn't about the achievement but about the family. We used any excuse to come together and appreciate one another. Soto as a child doesn't appreciate his family he simply wants them to be like the Beaver family. One thing that struck me as odd in the text was when Soto is describing a family dinner on the show “ Leave it to Beaver” and comparing it to a dinner at his. He describes the one in the show and it sounds unrelieved and humdrum where as his family is so exciting and warm. Like me, Soto does not appreciate the vibrant family he has been so blessed to have.

Reading this story made me realize how little I appreciated my unique upbringing as a Puerto Rican growing up in a mostly white neighborhood. Looking for Work brought back memories of how I would beg to go eat at my friends houses and constantly compare my family to theirs. I remember the look on my mothers face and how when I was younger I thought she was just annoyed at my childishness;  as I see her face clearly in my mind now I realize she was hurt. She could see that I so desperately wanted a normal family dinner with just the immediate family and how I sometimes wanted meatloaf rather than rice, beans, empanadas and any other delicious cultural food I took advantage of. I can only think of the cliche’ “the grass is always greener on the other side” when I read this story because as humans we are never satisfied with what we have, we always want what someone else has. I can promise you that my white friends were envious of the delicious food my Nana was constantly shoving down our throats or the comical Spanish songs we would sing together as a family after dinner. Soto has reminded me to be appreciative of the way I was brought up. Never again will I ask for meatloaf at the dinner table, or request that we speak English. I appreciate the beautiful family I have . AMO A MI FAMILIA!